St Lawrence Wire Rope Works

A former rope works building interesting not only as a vestige of the rope industry on Tyneside but also for the use of ferro concrete in the early 20th century extension to the building. A 376 foot long building was added to the site for Messrs. T & W Smith Ltd, the roof of which comprises 33 ferro-concrete trusses. The St Lawrence Ropery was established in the 18th century. The earliest extant documentary reference to the rope-walk at St Lawrence dates from 1724. In 1782 the shipbuilding and ropemaking company and T & W Smith started work at the ropery. This ropery appears to have been extended over the sites of the middle and high glasshouses (HER 1913-1915) in the early 19th century. Further minor alterations took place before the construction of a ferro-concrete ropery shed before 1913. The site was acquired by J. Porter in the early 1930s and converted to a joinery shop, in which use it remains. The 19th century ropery buildings to the south east and north west of the site were demolished in the 1940s and 1990s respectively.